when you have to be worried is when you hear the words HIGH and DANGEROUS or anything other than LOW...low level radiation sixty miles out is not
going to pack enough of a kick by the time it gets over here.

oh that's fine...i think we have to keep an eye on things but i'm just someone who is kind of tired of levels of panic going through the roof without
there being 100% cause. I'm not trying to downplay anything but we don't yet know how much radation is going to be leaked in total...we've no way of
knowing that yet and i think by going full out panic end of the world mode does A LOT more harm then it does good. That kind of thing is why the
government DOESN'T tell people everything, mass hysteria, psychosomatic effects...fear is the enemy of the mind and during this kind of disasterous
situation the more panic the worse off people are as far as i'm concerned

haha i know most people write off astrology but i;m a capricorn...its the logical / rational part of my brain that jut wants to try and keep reminding
people that we need to keep a little level head for now...if the time comes to panic by all means do, but this is not the time

yeah I agree, that's why I have tried to be very careful in wording anything.. there has been WAY to many of the sky is falling threads out
there..

what I am afraid of is people will be so used to the doom warnings, that IF something bad does start to happen..they will ignore it because they have
seen 1102 posts already warning the same thing over the last week..

I just wanted to start some talk about the CHANCES of all the smoke and ash turning into a fallout plume to enable other wise local event to become
widespread...was basicly tossing the idea out there for all those people that are saying nothing bad CAN happen

"Radiation" is a catch-all term. There are many different types of radiation and untold different levels of radiation. The best definition I have is
that radiation is energetic release during transmutation (decay). Each radioactive isotope has its own intensity, half-life, and type(s) of radiation
associated with it.

Nuclear plants use uranium (U-238) as a fuel, which decays into other elements, some radioactive, by a nuclear chain reaction. As one atom decays, it
emits energetic neutrons, which then can intercept other atoms and cause them to spontaneously decay. At some point, the fuel is packed tightly enough
and in enough quantity to produce a critical mass, which simply means atoms are producing so many neutrons that the chain reaction will continue
indefinitely until all the fuel has been exhausted.

How does this affect the US? Well, here are the different types of radiation:

Alpha radiation is the emission of a helium nucleus, 2 protons
and two electrons. This is possibly the most carcinogenic of the different types of radiation, because the helium nuclei are electrically charged and
massive on an atomic scale. Plutonium decays via alpha emission.

Beta radiation is the emission of electrons or positrons (anti-electrons). This also has a carcinogenic effect since the emissions are ionizing
like alpha emission, but they do not have the atomic mass of alpha radiation. Beta emission is used in food sterilization, as it quickly kills
bacteria. Cesium-135, Cesium-137, and Iodine-131 all decay by beta emission.

Neutron emission occurs when energetic neutrons are emitted. Energetic neutrons then release energy (as do the alpha and beta particles) into the
surrounding environment. The problem with neutron emission is that neutrons are easily absorbed by certain materials, and this absorption does not
decrease their energy levels by itself. One notable material which is very good at absorbing neutrons is water. U-238 decays by neutron emission.

Gamma radiation is the release of energy rather than particles. It can be compared to being exposed to an unshielded microwave oven. Most elements
exhibit some gamma radiation, but significant amounts come from iodine-131 and U-238.

The only type that poses any significant threat to the US would be neutron radiation, with some beta and gamma radiation possible for a short period
should something like iodine-131 manage to survive the trip across the Pacific. Any element that crosses the Pacific must have three characteristics
to be significant:

It must have a long enough half-life to still be significant when it gets here.

It must have a significant intensity of radiation.

It must have a transport mechanism to carry it.

The last requirement is the critical one. Plutonium, for instance, is heavy and insoluble, so any plutonium that attempted to reach us would drop out
of the atmosphere well before it got close to the US. Iodine-131 could reach us (that was probably the cloud of radiation encountered by a US
warship), but by the time it did, the short half-life of 8 days would mean it would not have much radioactivity left. Cesium-135 or -137 could reach
us easily enough, and has a very long half-life, but cesium has very little intensity... it is mostly used for experimentation where a low-level,
mostly safe radiation source is needed.

Neutrons have all three characteristics. They can remain energetic for extended periods of time. They carry a good deal of energy, and by their very
nature, they can cause other quasi-stable atoms to split and produce more radiation of different types. And they are easily absorbed by water, which
provides them a free ride on any trade winds or currents available.

Neutrons in the atmosphere would fall as radioactive rain, accumulate in radioactive groundwater, be absorbed into radioactive plants, and then be
eaten by radioactive animals. There are plenty of areas in nature that will tend to concentrate energetic neutrons.

There is also really no defense against neutron contamination. The concrete walls inside a reactor building are the barricade used to protect the rest
of the plant. There are elements, like boron, that tend to absorb neutrons, but if they are already absorbed, this does not help.

The thing to watch for now is a reactor breach that releases neutron-rich steam into the atmosphere, in a huge white plume. That has not happened, and
I have no reason to believe it will at this point. It remains a possibility, but not a probability.

Officialdumb has proven itself an unreliable source when announcing the potential dangers of radioactivity.
note the army manual on DU.....
and the subsequent poisoning of half the planet with it in toatl disregard to the notes found there...
note the death rate of returning US vets.

note the damage to health related to DU in the areas and surrounds where the uS army has used it to SAVE the populace...
demo cracy ...

oh yeah, here private...
put these glasses on and just stand there and watch the show....

cancer was almost non existant till we discovered polution and radiation....
now almost half the peeps can EXPECT to get it...

I've been hearing that it is possible for fallout to reach the U.S. I had an odd thought today. I was watching the news where the workers there
have the hand-held detection devices scanning people, and thought... What if the devices are not even turned on. I mean if you've already been
exposed maybe they don't want to alarm more than already are. I surly hope not, but who knows. It's really hard to completely trust any
governments these days.

It needs travel time to get to you. Not enough travel time has passed yet.

Be paranoid enough to seek information, and take precautions which haven't any bad consequences.

So for example, you can take loading doses of iodine. Take fucidan, or blue-green algae, both of which have plenty of legitimate research into them
have protective qualities for radiation, and particularly for cesium. You can starting loading your body mechanisms with ferricin containing foods
(iron, iron-peptide, iron-enzymes) which is also protective against cesium uptake.

None of this is bad for you under normal circumstances, if you turn out to be worried for no reason. If gives you something useful to do, and allows
a productive outlet for your concerns.

edit on 2011/3/14 by Aeons because: If you replace all the "you" with "me" you'll have a good idea of
my internal dialogue about paranoia.

Fears that America could be hit by the nuclear fallout from the Japan earthquake have dramatically increased as workers prepared to abandon a
reactor crippled by the earthquake and tsunami last night in the face of what is set to become the world's second worst nuclear disaster - topped
only by Chernobyl.

Damage at the number two reactor at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex is worse than thought, the Japanese government admitted
tonight, sparking fears for human health both in Japan and the U.S.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has admitted it is 'quite possible' the fallout could reach America.

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